SITE DECISIONS

I have been torn throughout this project in developing a site-less prototype for temporary housing and a Mumbai-specific site(s) that demonstrates the various levels of temporary needed. While in terms of design, I will most likely design a prototype for transit housing, I will analyze the different sites and needs of permanence I witnessed in Mumbai. 

One of the issues that struck me as the most relevant while we were in India was the debated distinction between legal versus illegal slums. This definition has been determined by the year in which it was already existing. Politicians have moved this date later and later. However, the most vulnerable population, the residents of new slums, has been completely ignored. I looked specifically at Baiganwadi slum in Govandi. It is built on one of the city's oldest dumps. The residents are mostly comprised of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and their homes are incapable of having permanent footings because of the waste upon which they are built. For me, this is a quintessential example of when temporary housing is needed and will last for several years. It is an issue that has been ignored politically and thus must be solved architecturally. 

While in Mumbai, I visited what was quoted as a "semi-successful" SRA (Slum Redevelopment Authority) scheme done by Hafeez Contractor. The Imperial Towers redevelopment used the market-rate and height incentives for developers to construct free re-housing for slum dwellers. The re-housing scheme is built with a courtyard that has been filled with a playground and a cricket field. The first floor of the perimeter of the building is used for commercial purposes. There are two entrances per side and an elevator in the building (thus accessible). The lighting is poor in common areas. The units are small and have been adapted by the residents. The unit that I entered had built a bed in the kitchen (for the mother and father, which they considered adequate privacy) and a pull-out sofa (used for the grandmother and daughter). The bathroom and shower were to separate rooms in between the kitchen and living room. There was a storage "balcony" that was used as the grandmother's day hangout. The resident criticized the poor construction of the walls, hitting them to show the instability. He said owning the place was of the utmost importance to him, and that he would rather own a smaller place than rent a larger place. He wished the ceilings were higher so that he could build a loft bed or create more storage space. He also thought the space for the bathroom and shower could be reduced and consolidated. In general, he thought people had taken more ownership of their homes, citing his new car and new pets. 

The transit housing was physically dark and uninviting from the outside. I was advised not to enter, being told it wasn't safe and was being housed by a new, non-local population. These temporary transit housing had been occupied for the past 13 years, with the resident I spoke with having lived there for 9 years. It is this issue that I would like to address. The temporary transit housing is what I would qualify as "semi-permanent". My aim is to create a layout that mimics the slums previous organization and creates a model for the organization of the permanent structure. Thus, the way that it is inhabited is as similar as possible to the way the residents will inhabit their future permanent building. One characteristic of the slum I primarily want to address is the porosity and multiplicity of the entrances. In terms of materiality, it needs to be deconstructable and able to be moved from one location to the next. I aim to integrate communal as well as economic spaces and to take into consideration the recommendations of the clients I met at the Imperial Towers redevelopment scheme.